Escape the Fate
by IchikawaTheColdEye
Summary: Quinn Shepard is ruthless. John Nordman is kind-hearted. They're gonna haunt down Saren, destroy the collector base and go to war against the Reapers. The siblings will go through adventures, romances and heartaches. Some twists and turns with the storyline and all the DLC SPOILERS! F!Shep/Garrus already in ME. M!Shep/Ashely moving to M!Shep/Miranda. Rate M to be sure.
1. Intro

This is my first Mass Effect story. I've had this thin in my head for a while and just had to write it down. Everything is owned by Bioware, which everyone knows. I'm just borrowing it all to make my own story of the game.

So this story will be similar to the ME storyline but with some twists and turns in the events. Some things will be changed, added or not even in it. There will be big spoilers of the DLC's when I get to them.

**Commander Quinn Shepard**, the Spectre and main character. Earthborn, Ruthless, Renegade and a Vanguard.

**XO John Nordman**. Earthborn, War Hero, Paragon and Soldier.

* * *

**Escape the Fate**

Intro

The three men stood around the table and looked at all the dossiers lying speared out. All of the men and women showed potential and their service records was impressive. Some of them they knew personally and had served under them. They did not doubt that each and every one of them would do the job, but they needed someone with great leadership skills and exceptional combat expertise.

Ambassador Udina grabbed one dossier and put it up on the screen before asking; "Well, what about Quinn Shepard? An N7 marine. Earthborn... but no record of her family."

Anderson looked at the picture of the blonde young woman. He instantly knew he had meet her once, her two colored eyes gave her away. Left eye green and right one blue with an intensive stare which pierced into your soul in search for something only she knew what. "Doesn't have one. She was raised on the streets. Learned to look out for herself." He told them. It had been exactly that he had been told himself so many years ago.

"She got most of her unit killed on Torfan." Admital Hackett put in a bit disapproving.

Anderson sensed it and said with a reassuring tone; "She gets the job done. No matter what the cost."

"She's ruthless and has a habit of not following orders." Hackett knew about this woman. Ever since Torfan he had kept himself updated about her. Most of her superiors had more bad things to say about her than good. But they all agreed that even though she did everything her way, in the end she got the job done and completed the mission.

"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Udina asked doubtful and looked up at the men standing across the table.

Anderson exchanged a quick glance with Hackett. The feeling he had when he first meet her was coming back to him. He was sure she was destined to do great things and the slums of Stockholm wasn't where they would happened. He had advised her to enlist, and even though she had changed her name, he was absolutely sure it was the same girl. "That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy. " Anderson argued.

"What about this one, John Nordman? Also Earthborn, have a sister. " Udina asked and grabbed another dossier.

"A street kid. Enlisted when he came of age to get off the streets and offer a better life for his sister. As far as I know, they aren't close." Anderson said.

"He proved himself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived." Hackett said approving. He was well-known in the Alliance because of that.

Anderson gave a soft nod. "He's the only reason Elysium is still standing."

"We can't question his courage." Udina said as he had made his decision.

"Isn't Nordman already on the Normandy?" Hackett asked and turned to Anderson.

Anderson nodded. He put his hands on the table and looked at both dossiers on the screen. "Yes. He's XO. I don't doubt Nordman would do an excellent job, he's a great soldier and willing to risk his life to save others. But humanity needs someone who is a fighter, a survivor. And ruthless when needed."

"I'll... make the call." Udina said unwillingly, knowing for sure he would come to regret it.

* * *

_Thanks for reading ^^_

_Will try to update as soon as possible. There will at least be one comming up weekly if not quicker. _

_If you have any helpful ideas or anything else, shoot! _


	2. Chapter 1: SSV Normandy

Hi again! Here is the first chapter. ^^

And again just to be clear, I don't own Mass Effect which you all already figured out but still, I'm just borrowing the characters to write this story. If you have any ideas than please tell! Plus... English is not my mother tongue, so if the grammar or spelling is wrong, please be understanding ^^

And yay to silentmarine, who follows my story! Thank you!

**Commander Quinn Shepard**, the Spectre and main character. Earthborn, Ruthless, Renegade and Vanguard.

**XO John Nordman**. Earthborn, War Hero, Paragon and Soldier.

* * *

**Escape the Fate**

Chapter 1: SSV Normandy

Quinn Shepard have been stationed on the SSV Normandy only a few days ago. So far she was impressed by the Alliance -Turian Hierarchy prototype ship and couldn't really wait to see what she was capable of in the heat of battle. She wasn't as impressed by the crew though. They were probably fine men and women and good at their jobs. But the gossip and bantering! It drove her almost insane to hear it all. Even as she was headed for the bridge she could hear some of the crew gossiping about what had happened the night before in the lab between Addison Chase and Raymond Tanaka.

She stopped for a second, halfway down the bridge and had to take a deep breath to keep herself from roar at them to shut the hell up. There was no regulations about it so she had no proper reason to tell them to stop. But if she wanted to know about someone's personal life then she would ask the person herself, not that it was likely. Once she felt like she had gathered her frustration, she continued on to the bridge right in time to see Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau take the Normandy through the mass relay.

"Hitting the relay in three... two... one..." Joker counted down and went in for the jump which brought them billions of light years away. She was still so amazed that it only took seconds to travel so far and it didn't feel a thing. Joker started to go through the systems."Thrusters... check. Navigation... check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K."

She was a bit surprised to find Spectre Nihlus Kryik there. The turian kept most to himself ever since he had come onboard and spoke only to the captain. His presence had made most of the crew uneasy, her included."1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said approving and then turned and walked down the bridge.

Once he was out of ear reach Joker stated simply; "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment... so you hate him?" Executive Officer John Nordman asked astonished from the right co-pilot seat, she had failed to noticed him. His sudden presence made her jump a little and already she started to feel uncomfortable. When she had found out he was on the ship too, she had done everything in her control to avoid him. But when ever she had to interact with him, she kept it strictly professional. Not that John had made much effort in trying to talk to her, which she was unbelievable content with, but she knew it was coming sooner or later. She preferred later, and if he knew what was good for him he wouldn't even try at all.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Joker argued to get his point across, clearly offended. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

John didn't waste any time to respond. "You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs."

"So there's more going on here than the captain's letting on." Joker said with a shrug of his shoulder.

She couldn't take it anymore. The frustration came back in a rush. "That's enough. You're soldiers. Act like it!" She demanded, her voice pitching to that tone which wouldn't accept nothing but obedience.

"Yes, Commander." Joker said and then both men went quiet, but she didn't fail to notice their exchanging looks. Before she could question them about it, Captain David Anderson called out through the comm.

"Joker! Status report."

Joker was quick to report their progress ."Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth system engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way." Joker informed him.

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard and XO Nordman to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing." Anderson told him, annoyance in his voice and then the comm went dead.

Joker turned to her and asked; "You get that?"

"He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission." John said and pushed himself up from of the seat.

Quinn narrowed her eyes in frustration and said with just as frustrated tone; "Great. You piss the captain off and now I'm going to pay for it." She turned and walked down the bridge quickly before John could accompany her.

"Pff. Don't blame me. The captain's always in a bad mood." Joker said a bit frustration leaking from his own tone.

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker." John shipped in with a small smirk and then he too went to meet with the captain. Joker muttered something he didn't quite hear as he walked down the bridge. On his way to the comm room he saw that Jane-Quinn had stopped on her way and was now talking to Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Doctor Karin Chakwas.

"I sincerely hope you're kidding, Lieutenant. Your 'action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary." John heard Doctor Chakwas say to Kaidan, clearly not pleased with whatever he had said.

He walked up to them right in time to hear Quinn state harshly; "Marines are meant to fight. You just fix us up when we're done."

For a few seconds all of them just stood there looking at her stunned. For John, he didn't really know how to process that. She was talking like soldiers only purpose was to fight and die. Just patch them up and then send them right back to the fight.

"I know how things work, Commander. I've seen my share of combat, but it's foolish to go looking for trouble." Chakwas said sternly and offended, but kept it to a minimum in her voice as she continued."You could both take a lesson from the captain. He's not afraid of combat, but he knows the value of restraint, too."

"Sorry Doc." Kaidan said then. "I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board."

"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out." John reassured him but Quinn wouldn't have it at that.

"Do your job, follow my orders, and there won't be any problems." She warned.

John could see on Kaidan that he had enough of her offending attitude. He didn't blame him. John had enough of it as well and he had barley talked to her since she came onboard. He knew most of the crew felt intimidated by her and kept their distance. And with her viewpoint on soldiers value, much was explained. She didn't seem to mind, but if they would be able to trust her then she seriously needed to lay off her shitty attitude.

"Oh, don't worry, I will. But you proved yourself on Torfan. Everybody knows what you can do." Kaidan assured her, his frustration leaking from his tone.

John turned to look at her. The mentioning of Torfan was a risky topic to bring up in front of her. He knew by experience. But she remained quiet, her face expressionless except for the small, almost unnoticeable narrowing of her left eye. He knew what that meant and said hastily; "You need to calm down, Commander. A good soldier stays cool, even under fire."

Quinn shoot him a fierce glare which told him not to go there and her patience was wearing thin. "We have a job to do." She stated, the frustration even more clear. She turned to Kaidan and gave him a warning. "Don't do anything stupid to mess it up!"

"Don't worry, ma'am." Kaidan said and straightened himself up.

Quinn turned once again and looked sternly at John, meeting his eyes. He remember those eyes being filled with dreams and compassion. The blue and the green eye sparkle with a reassurance he had failed to see for himself from time to time in his youth. Now they were filled with anger and resentment. But with a fire he couldn't quite translate.

"The Captain's waiting." She said and then walked to the comm room door.

"Is she always like that?" Kaidan asked while keeping his eyes on the door as she disappeared behind it.

"I sense that you two has a history?" Chakwas asked and turned the question to John.

"What makes you say that?" He asked, not liking where it was going.

She crossed her arms over her chest and then put her left thumb under her chin and index finger on her cheek, which was typical of her when ever she was considering something. "A lot of reason, really. But mostly how you act around each other. Stiff, avoiding. " She said, her tone light but thoughtful.

"Oh... yeah, well..." He began hesitate and put a hand on the back of his head, looking at anything else than the two people in front of him. Which would not deny her suspicions but matter of fact add to it. It wouldn't really matter to him if someone knew, but he was dead sure that Quinn didn't want it out. And even though he wanted to piss her off so bad, he didn't want it to be because of that. So instead he changed topic and asked;"What do you know about the Spectres?"

"Only what I've heard. Spectre agents work directly for the Citadel Council. They usually work alone or in small groups." Chakwas answered, surprisingly not bothered by his lack of answer and the change of topic. "Spectres don't have any official power, though. Basically, they're a shadow organization with a mandate to preserve and protect galactic stability."

"Why don't we have any of our own people in there?" Kaidan asked and looked at Chakwas.

"Spectres usually come from the Council races. Like the turians. We've been trying to get a human accepted into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened." She aswered.

Kaidan turned to John, a large grin on his face and said. "Hey John. You'd make a good Spectre." By the mix of the grin and the half tease in his voice, John wasn't sure it he was serious or not. " You're a war hero, right? Held off an entire enemy fleet during the Blitz single-handed. That's the kind of talent the Spectres are looking for."

"This is all just wild speculation. The Sprectres aren't interested in recruiting humans. No matter how capable." Chakwas shipped in and the topic was drawn to an end.

"Talk to you more later. I guess the Captain and the lone wolves are waiting for me." John said and walked the door which Quinn had disappeared into.

"Goodbye Commander." Chakwas said gently.

When he got into the comm room only Quinn and Nihlus was there. She was standing with her back facing the door while he was walking back and forth as he was talking to her. By the look on her crossed arms and stiff, guarded shoulders, he could see she didn't like what he was saying.

"-a perfect little world on the edges of your territory." He heard him say. "Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

"Are you trying to scare me, Spectre?" She demanded, her tone pitching to a small threat and leaned forward in a daring motion.

John walked up to them and stopped just behind her right shoulder and mirrored her stance, his protective instinct taking over, even though he didn't know what they were talking about. But his gut told him she had been threatened.

Nihlus didn't miss a beat and took his eye contact for a second before he turned repeated his foot work once more and continued; "Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

He turned to look at both of them to see their reactions. Before one or both of them could comment the door swooshed open and Anderson walked it. He walked down to their strange rectangle and said; "I think it's about time we told them what's really going on."

Nihlus nodded to the Captain and turned to look at the pair, his gaze switching between them as he told them what they had wanted to know since the turian came onboard; "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

"I figured there was something you weren't telling us." John said simply and turned to Anderson with a slight smile on his lips.

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."

Quinn shifted her weight to the other leg and stated irritated; "I don't like being kept in the dark."

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis." Anderson said, not reflecting on her attitude or simply ignored it.

"What's the payload, Captain?" John asked then and Anderson meet his gaze.

"A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

"I thought the Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago." Quinn asked surprised, which made John turn an look at her to see if he really heard it right. He seemed to be the only one to reflect on it as both Anderson and Nihlus remained just as serious.

Nihlus explained to her. "Their legacy still remains. The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives - it's all based on Prothean technology."

"This is big. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years." Anderson said a bit bothered while he walked back and forth. "But Eden Prime doesn't have the facility to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests. This discovery could affect every species in Council space." Nihlus put in.

"Why didn't we keep the beacon for ourselves?" Quinn asked simply.

Nihlus turned to look directly at her. John could see that even a Spectre couldn't find himself to not get disoriented in Quinn's different colored eyes. He had to suffocate the laugh who was threatening to come up. "You humans don't have the best reputation. Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous." Nihlus said like he was using her as the reference which she gathered and stared at him with the look most people thought was intimidating.

Anderson didn't seem to notice it and went on with the explanation. "Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do."

"It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." John agreed and nodded his head with approval.

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard." Nihlus said, taking a different tone in his voice.

Both the superiors turned to her and for a moment he felt like he was intruding.

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you." Anderson told her.

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Since when do we answer to the Spectres?" She demanded, not to happy about being put on the spot.

Anderson was quick to respond, like he was expecting it. "You're smart enough to know how things work, Commander." Sometimes it seemed like Anderson knew her better than John did. "The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council" She still didn't seem convinced and her jaw went tense. "The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"I was impressed when I studied the reports from Torfan." Nhilus shipped in and she shot him an alarming glance but he continued. "A grim business... but you got the job done. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres ."

John got surprised by that. Not that he didn't think she deserved it, she certainly did, but-. "I assume this is good for the Alliance?" He asked and directed the question to Anderson.

Quinn quickly stated reluctant before Anderson could answer;"I don't like people making decisions about my future."

Anderson put his hand on her shoulder and she glared at him. "This isn't about you, Shepard. Humanity needs this. We're counting on you."

For a second he thought that she was going to stay stubborn and refuse. She took a deep breath before giving away a small defeated groan and her whole body relaxed. Nihlus used that moment to ship in; "I need to see your skills for myself, Commader. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission." Anderson said satisfied.

"Just give the word, Captain." She said, a sudden new strength in her voice.

"We should be getting close to Eden-" Anderson began but was interrupted by Joker urgent voice on the ships intercom.

"Captain! We've got a problem."

"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson asked looked up to the roof, like Joker was up there talking to them.

"Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this!"

Anderson turned to the other side of the comm room and said; "Bring it up on the screen."

The screen opened and immediately the transmission played out. All four of them turned their attention to it. They where immediately meet with the sound of gunfire but the screen was in a blurry motion going sideways. In a second the person who recorded turned the screen to his or her two comrades who was shooting at something out of the screen. It was clear they were being shot at as well, as one of them was shot down. Shortly after the second one, a woman in white and pink armor ran towards the screen.

"Get down!" She said and pushed the one who was recoding to the ground. Again she was shown shooting, but still they had no idea who was attacking.

Then he or she started to move the screen again in rapid movement, which made it impossible to determine the attacker even though he turned the transmitter to show the enemy. Then a man showed up on the screen, shouting with panic in his voice; "We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties ! We can't... argh!... -eed evac! They came out of nowhere. We need-" He was shot dead before he could finish and fell to the ground.

The transmitter turned the screen when a strange sound, what John could only describe as an elevator's humming or like a synthetic whine, filled the air. The soldiers on the screen was looking stunned at something in the distance. The transmitter turned to show them something that looked like a giant black hand coming down from the sky, with strange red lightening surrounding it. For a second it lingered on it before the screen moved rapidly before it was cut.

"Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing." Joker said when the transmission had been broken.

"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight point five." Anderson said and the screen froze at the strange black hand. The four of the stared at it trying to determine what it could be. "Status report"

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area." Joker reported quckly.

"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet." Anderson turned to the three of them. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus nodded and turned his attention to the screen. "A small strike team can move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Anderson ordered and Nihlus turned and walked out of the comm room. He then turned to John and Quinn."Tell Alenko to suit up. You're going in."

Both of them exchanged a quick glance and nodded determined. They were going to do this.

* * *

Please tell me what you think. I know, much is taken from the game and that is kind of the point. But as the story progress it will be more changes in conversations and stuff. And yes, Jenkins dosen't exist here.

I'll get the next chapter up as soon as possible. The latest will be sometime next week.

So until then, Cya! ^^


	3. Chapter 2: Eden Prime

Hi there!

Thank you so much for reading! I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

I will keep this short, cause I'm soooo tired and it's late. Again, grammar and spelling may be totally off, cause I'm not good at it. Not even in my own swedish languish. (Hated grammar back in school!)

Now to my wonderful new viewers; lots of applause for them! Yay! =D

SgtTarkus

- And thank you so much for the review!

Have fun reading!

* * *

**Commander Quinn Shepard**, the Spectre and main character. Earthborn, Ruthless, Renegade and a Vanguard.

**XO John Nordman**. Earthborn, War Hero, Paragon and Soldier.

* * *

**Escape the Fate**

Chapter 2: Eden Prime

Joker announced through the intercom that they had engaged stealth systems and they were just four minutes from arriving to the drop point. The ground team had gathered down in the cargo hold geared up and ready to go.

Quinn checked her equipment one more time when Anderson approached to give the final briefing; "Your team's the muscle in this operation, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

"What about survivors, Captain?" Kaidan asked from somewhere behind her.

Anderson answered, much to her own intentions; "Helping survivors is a secondary objective. The beacon's your top priority."

It wasn't like she would ignore it if she saw someone that needed help. She wasn't entirely heartless, she just had to chose the priority. For her it was to complete the mission and figure out what that giant black hand-looking thing was and what it was doing on Eden Prime.

Joker announced they had reached the first dropping point and the cargo hatch clicked as it was hoisting down. John turned to the turian and asked; "Nihlus? You're coming with us?"

He moved down the ramp as he answered dismissive; "I move faster on my own." Then he jumped off the ship and moved out.

The hatched closed as they turned to Anderson. "Nihlus will scout out ahead. He'll feed you status reports throughout the mission; otherwise, I want radio silence." He said.

Still she had a hard time accepting the idea of the turian evaluating her. It wasn't much about it being a turian who watched her-, she had no problems with them like most of the humans did, nor with the other alien species. Well, except for the four-eye-bee-heads batarians and the stupid hanars. -No it was that she had never liked being watched. It reminded her too much of the life on Earth, which she wanted nothing more than forget. But what she said didn't come out as she first had though and made it sound like she indeed had a problem with their entire race. "I don't like putting my life in the hands of a turian, sir."

Anderson was quick to respond, like he had expected that at least one of them would say something similar."Nihlus is on our side. He wants you in the Spectres, and he wants that beacon."

John seemed to sense it as well and quickly reasured the captain that they got the turian's back. Only a second after Joker talked through the com again, telling them they had reached the second dropping point. The hatched opened as the ship neared the cliff edge and Anderson said before they turned to leave; "The mission's yours now, Shepard. Good luck."

With a strong voice she told him they were ready and able and saluted him. He gave a sharp nod and she walked down the ramp, following John and Kaidan. Once they where groundside the Normandy flew back into orbit. They scanned the perimeter and cleared the radar from any hostiles and Kaidan announced that it was secure. She took point with her shootgun in her hands-, with Kaidan and his pistol on her left and John on her right with his assault rifle, -and headed for the dig site.

Eden Prime was as beautiful as it had been said. There was a slight similarity to Earth but the plants and vegetation had a bit more fantasy touch to it, like it had been taken from a child's imagination. The sun was setting and made the whole firmament red. It almost seemed peaceful.

The radio cracked a little as it opened the transmits and Nihlus reported like he had seen her taking in the view; "This place got hit hard, Commander. Hostiles everywhere. Keep your guard up."

John took that as his cue to immediately ask her the question he wanted to ask back on the Normandy. "So... a Spectre, huh?"

Her jaw clenched by the slight tease in his voice and asked plainly; "What about it?"

"You think you can handle it?"

Trying hard to resist from turning all the way and look him straight in the face, she hissed the question over her shoulder. "A reason I shouldn't?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Kaidan who exclaimed; "Damn. What the hell are those?"

Alarmed she turned her head forward to see what he was referring to and was ready to shoot. But the strange orange-yellowish-balloon-things that was floating in the air just in front of her wasn't what she had expected to find. More of them was floating around the field and didn't seem to mean them any harm. She wasn't even sure if the thing was alive. The curiosity lead her to get a closer look.

"Gas bags. Don't worry - they're harmless. But don''t touch-" Before John could end his sentence, she had put her hand on one of the gas bags. Which she shouldn't have done. It exploded by the impact like a water balloon, but instead of being covered with water, an orange-yellowish goo splashed all over her armor. For a moment she just stood there-, her hand still out stretched and frozen in place, -not sure whether she should be disgusted or frustrated. She didn't miss the muzzled laughs that came from the men behind her.

"Em... I don't think you should touch that, Commander." Kaidan said warily, but still with the amusement in his tone.

Suffocating her own frustration, she whipped the goo away from her face and helmet as much as she possible could before said; "Yeah... I got that, Lieutenant." The smell of the goo was awful, a mix of boiled cabbage and rotten fish. She had to breathe through her mouth to keep herself from throwing up.

They moved on and it didn't take long before they started to see burned corpses scattered along the way. With horror in his voice, Kaidan asked; "Oh god. What happened here?"

John covered his mouth with his arm and looked away from the composing stench. "Smells like smoke and death."

Eventually they approached a field. Quinn went down on one knee and raised a fist to tell them to halt. She scanned the area and looked at her radar, which looked clean but her stomach was twisting, like it was telling her not to trust what she was seeing. She took a second to look over the field again, but couldn't find a reason for her stomach to feel uneasy and signaled Kaidan to move up. He past her with his pistol up and ready. He was half way down the field when she signaled John to move. He didn't have the chance to before two drones came flying out of nowhere and began to rain bullets on Kaidan.

It went down so quickly that neither of them had the time to react until he fell to the ground. John was the first to react and shoot them down easily with his assault rifle. Once they fell to the ground and exploded by the impact, John moved over to where Kaidan had fallen. Quinn followed a second later and reached them just in time to see John close Kaidan's eyes.

Slowly he shook his head like he was trying to convince himself that it wasn't real. Kaidan Alenko had been a good friend. He had known him for a couple of years. He knew he had two parents back on Earth who would be devastated for losing their only child. Though he was beginning to feel the loss, his voice still hadn't picked up on it as he said; "Damned. Ripped right through his shield. Never had a chance."

For less than a second she calculated the odds of him or any of them to survive the sudden attack. None of them had seen it coming and the radar had been too slow to pick it up and warn them in time. Like John had just said, he didn't have a chance. Which neither of them would've had if it had been them. Satisfied that it indeed wasn't her she said, the satisfaction leaking through her tone; "Leave him. We need to finish the mission."

Sickened, John jumped on his feet and grabbed her by the arm as she turned to move. "Hey!" He shouted and violently shoved her back, almost making her losing her footing in the process. A friend of mine was just shoot dead. Show some respect!" She shoved him off her arm and meet his furious face with a narrowed stared, mirroring it with her own. "He deserves to be brought back to the ship and his family and get a proper service once the mission is complete!" Her stare lingered on him a moment more before she looked down at the dead soldier with a stone cold face. He would be just another soldier to add to her list of people she had gotten killed. "How the hell did you become like this?" John demanded harshly.

Her eyes shoot back at him quicker than any weapon in the galaxy and told him with a killing tone; "If you'd been around you would've known." He kept his stared on her, without changing expression or say anything. "This is _my_ mission and you will follow _my_ orders. If you want to come back when this mission is over, then fine. But we're going." She turned away from him and walked down the field. "Is that clear?" Behind clenched teeth he reluctantly confirmed that it was clear.

They headed up the field and was on their guard, frequently checking the radar for more hostiles. When they came into view, they had their weapons ready. Quinn summoned her biotic, which covered her body with a black force. She wrapped one of the drones with it before quickly switching to her pistol and shot it. Once it went down, John had already taken down one with his assault rifle and they both shot down the last one.

As on cue, Nihlus reported in over the radio. "I've got some burned out buildings here, Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

They reached the hill on the other side of the field. Once they was up top they came across a small forest with several alien trees with thick trunks. On the radar they saw that three more drones was heading their way. She signaled for John to take cover behind a tree and while she moved up a bit more further and took cover behind another large rock. Once the drones came in sight they took them down simple and clean.

As they moved again they could hear gunfire coming closer. Keeping their guard up at all times and frequently looking at the radar, they moved through the forest until they reached a clearing before it narrowed down to a road. A soldier in white armor and pink patterns came running from the road with two drones in pursue, shooting at her back. She took a hit but her shields hold. She pulled out her pistol and threw herself with her back on the ground and shot them down, exploding long before they hit the ground. For a moment she seemed to have frozen in place, maybe seeing something further down the road neither of them could. Then suddenly she rose up and ran, quickly taking cover behind a few rocks and switching from the pistol to the assault rifle.

From the road, two hostiles appeared. At first Quinn didn't know what to describe them as. Their bodies had the appearance as a tall human male. But the black armors they were wearing seemed like their own skin. But most noticeable was their flashlight-like heads.

John turned to her and waited for her orders. "Take cover by that rock and cover me." She ordered and pointed at the rock the woman was using as cover. "I'll move in close."

With a sharp nod, John sprinted over the clearing. The enemy took quick notice of him and aimed their gunfire at him. His shield protected him from their firing bullets and before it reached zero, he slammed his armored back against the rock. The woman turned to him with a surprise full look on her face which later turned to relief. They nodded a greetings, and John recognized her as the woman on the transmission. Liked synched, they leaned out of either side of the rock once his shield had regenerated and tried to shoot down the enemies shields.

Quick and discretely, Quinn moved outside the enemy's line of sight. She had switched to her shotgun, which would provide a much more force in the shot up close. As she neared the target who still hadn't spotted her. It was busy trying to take down John and the woman. She took cover behind a small rock only three meter away from the enemy. It didn't take long before their shields broke, which was her cue. Her biotic flare up and she leaned out from her cover, aiming at the enemy's upper body and took the shoot. The enemy's chest exploded and she quickly pushed her biotic with an incredible force at the last hostile. It was thrown into the ground a few meters away with a heavy impact, limbs flying in all directions and the light going out in the optic.

"Thanks for your help. I didn't think I was going to make it." The woman said and turned to John as soon as the treat was over. Quinn made her way over to them right in time to hear her introduce herself."Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the two-twelve. You the one in charge here, sir?"

John didn't have the chance to answer before Quinn took the stance in front of her and demanded a status report.

Ashley turned to her and said apologizing; "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am I didn't-" But the narrowing of Quinn's eyes made her cut herself off and instead did what she had been ordered. Her shoulders slumped as she paced "Oh, man... We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"Are you wounded, Williams?" John asked ready to provide medi-gel if needed.

"A few scraped and burns. Nothing serious. The others weren't so lucky." Ashley said and looked over to the road.

"Where's the rest of your squad?" Quinn asked and followed with her own gaze to the road and saw a man who had been impaled upon a spike-like thing. Blood streaming down the thing and the intestines swirled around the tip. She had never seen a more sickening scene in her life.

"We tried to double back the beacon. But we walked into an ambush. I think I'm the only one left."

Quinn didn't bother to hide the disgust in her voice as she ruthlessly asked; "You just left the rest of your unit behind to die?"

"We held our position as long as we could. The geth overwhelmed us!" Ashley defended angry.

John turned to Quinn and said harshly, still with his own disgust from before in his voice; "You're not really the right person to question her about leaving her unit to die."

She turned her head to him and forcefully said; "I didn't _leave_ my unit to die, I sent them to fight and they died."

To him it wasn't much of a difference. Send people to a fight, where there was a guarantee they would die, was brutal and ruthless. But being in charge meant you sometimes had to make such a choice and he knew that. But whenever he did make that choice, he damned well always made sure that it would be the one where most people would come out alive and that it was worth it.

They didn't have the time to argue about it so instead he turned to Ashley and reassured her with a much more gentle voice; "This isn't your fault, Williams. You couldn't have done anything to save them."

A small thankful smile crawled up on her lips and she nodded a thanks. Quinn asked then, trying to get back on track; "You mentioned geth?"

Ashley turned to the scattered synthetic pieces remaining of the enemies. "I at least think they're geth."

John kneeled down by the intact head and examined it. "The geth haven't been seen outside the Veil in nearly two hundred years. Why are they here now?"

"They must have come for the beacon." Ashley said, which brought the attention of both of them. She told them that the dig site was close and that it might still be there.

But the uncertainty didn't sit well with Quinn. They needed to get to the beacon as quick as possible, if not faster. She told Ashley plainly that they would take care of it, not caring what the other woman did up to that point. She headed for the dig site, but didn't get more than a few steps until she was blocked by a white armor with pink patterns.

"Let me come with you, ma'am- The geth slaughtered my unit. Give me a chance to get even!" Ashley said, determine in her voice. Quinn was about to push her aside, but stopped herself when she saw the fierce look in the other woman's eyes.

Before she had the time to first consider to consider it, John said; "She knows the area, Commander. And we could use the extra firepower."

Her gaze shifted between the two soldiers for a moment, calculating their chances if they went without the Gunnery Chief. Then she slammed the end of her shotgun in her left hand, indicating they were moving out. "Just don't forget who's in charge." Quinn said with a threatening tone.

"Understood, Commander. You give the orders and I'll follow 'em."

"Move out." Quinn ordered and headed down the path with John and Ashley pursuing right behind.

* * *

I know, I know. I killed Kaidan. Sorry to all you Kaidan fans out there. But face it, if he didn't die now, then he probably would hava died later. Don't get me wrong, I do like Kaidan... not as much as Garrus, James, Wrex and Grunt. But he's there somewhere in the list of Likes. XD

Well. Tell me what you think. ^^

If you have a favorit assignment you would like me to put i here **AND** if you DO have any useful ideas, **_please _**share!

Next Chapter will be up as soon as I have finished it. Still going with if not this week, some time next week.

Now I really need to go to sleep... its getting a bit difficult to think in english.

So until then, Cya! ^^


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